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Prenatal and perinatal risk factors for eating disorders in women: A population cohort study
Author(s) -
Watson Hunna J.,
Diemer Elizabeth W.,
Zerwas Stephanie,
Gustavson Kristin,
Knudsen Gun Peggy,
Torgersen Leila,
ReichbornKjennerud Ted,
Bulik Cynthia M.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
international journal of eating disorders
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.785
H-Index - 138
eISSN - 1098-108X
pISSN - 0276-3478
DOI - 10.1002/eat.23073
Subject(s) - bulimia nervosa , eating disorders , anorexia nervosa , binge eating disorder , population , psychology , odds ratio , pregnancy , birth weight , cohort , cohort study , medicine , obstetrics , psychiatry , genetics , environmental health , biology
Objective The fetal programming model hypothesizes that developmental programming in utero and in early life induces adaptations that predetermine the adult phenotype. This study investigated whether prenatal/perinatal complications are associated with lifetime eating disorders in women. Method Participants included 46,373 adult women enrolled in the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study (den norske Mo r & ba rn‐undersøkelsen [MoBa]). MoBa mothers and their mothers (MoBa grandmothers) were the focus of the current study. MoBa mothers with lifetime eating disorders were compared to a referent group. Results MoBa mothers who weighed more at birth (birth weight, adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 1.14; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.10–1.19) or were born large‐for‐gestational‐age (adjusted OR = 1.39; 95% CI: 1.27–1.52) were more likely to develop binge‐eating disorder in later life. MoBa mothers who weighed less at birth were more likely to develop anorexia nervosa (birth weight, adjusted OR = 0.88; 95% CI: 0.81–0.95). Bulimia nervosa and purging disorder (PD) were not significantly predicted by the prenatal and perinatal factors examined. Discussion Results of this study, which include the first known investigation of prenatal and perinatal factors in binge‐eating disorder and PD, suggest that fetal programming may be relevant to the development of anorexia nervosa and binge‐eating disorder. Future genetically informative research is needed to help disentangle whether these associations are a function of genetic influences or a true environmental fetal programming effect.